Googlebooks are here. And they’re actually interesting (for Android phone users) — but there are still so many questions.
App casting, handoff, and seamless file sharing make Googlebooks feel (almost) obvious with an Android phone.
Not every smart TV is as easily hackable as Gamers Nexus says LG’s are, but they’re all tracking what you watch unless you opt out.
But they’re more dangerous with AI.
Muse probably can’t ‘see’ your notifications. But it also has no idea how it works.
It remains the best tiny computer you can buy, but $900 stings compared to the $600 of the last-gen.
The Pro camera’s major upgrade offers minor image quality improvements — whether or not you know what an f-stop is.
A surprisingly consequential update for the world’s most popular smartwatch.
The $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case have great ANC and finally add swipe volume controls.
It’s AI CEO against AI CEO, and things are changing by the day.
The studios have been silent, but Hollywood’s biggest labor unions aren’t buying the AI apocalypse narrative.
He claims there is a ‘0% chance’ of AI ending the world.
Researchers warned AI would go rogue. This is only the beginning.
Snap has spent half a decade working toward its first consumer pair of AR glasses. They’re finally here — and they’re bold as can be.
New camera-free frames might avoid the ‘pervert glasses’ nickname, The Information reports.
Public-facing workers are being filmed, harassed, and creeped out by AI-powered smart glasses.
This crop of smart glasses is the most stylish, affordable, comfortable, and capable yet. They still don’t make sense.
The KickerSeptember 22
The line has been repaired, but delays are ongoing.
The Colorado River faces an ‘unprecedented’ drought as data centers demand more water.
If you have one of Birdfy’s smart birdwatching devices, you can tune into its video feed on the biggest screen in the house now on the Roku version of the Birdfy companion app.
Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills requiring AI data centers to pay for upgrades to the local energy grid.
A system for “contextually aware” ads described in the patent application could pause gameplay “at the operating system level” to show an ad when certain in-game events or triggers happen. For instance, players might get an ad break after a boss fight or when their avatar “is determined to be in a safe location, such as the user’s team base.”
Insta360’s Luna Ultra and the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P added telephoto lenses to baby steadycams this year. The Ultra’s zoom originally offered 3x optical, 6x lossless crop, or 12x with reduction in detail, but a firmware update now gives you an AI-enhanced 15x. Or make it 4.5x optical and up to 22.5x zoom by adding the new $50 “Ultra Telephoto Lens,” too:
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We tried out the new Googlebooks, which are essentially Chromebooks evolved with an Android elemental stone. They’re made by Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, and Asus (not Google), but all have the new Googlebook OS, heavy integration with Android phones and Gemini, and a built-in “Glowbar.” Laptop reviewer Antonio G. Di Benedetto went hands-on with the new devices, and reports back to guest host David Imel.
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As I mention in my Googlebook hands-on piece, Google’s new laptop OS has clever ideas about how an Android-based laptop and an Android phone interact. It’s worth checking out in motion, like in our short video that went up today.
We’ll of course be testing and reviewing Googlebooks to see if they actually have the juice. In the meantime, watch me hold a microphone like a goof.
According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, the long-rumored Apple home hub with a screen is now being positioned as an AI hub for the home, working in tandem with your personal AI hub, the iPhone. He writes:
“It will bring together all of your connected-device controls, video calls, intercom capabilities and media, while giving you access to Apple services and apps. It also will feature a new operating system built around Siri AI.”
I shared my ideas for what I want to see Apple do with a truly “intelligent home hub” in this piece, but in the meantime I’ll make do with Apple just shipping something here.
The recent reveal of GM’s new software interface in its trucks has left some people confused about the automaker’s stance on phone mirroring.
This settlement will resolve the antitrust lawsuit filed by California, New York, Washington, and several other states to block Paramount’s big deal.
I didn’t just review Valve’s Steam Frame last week — I spent a whole lot of time talking about the headset with fellow reviewers. I interviewed CNET’s Scott Stein about his review on The Vergecast, then Aftermath’s Chris Person turned the tables on me for Aftermath Hours, too!
There’s one intriguing thing we all agree on.
A new “Premium early access” feature for users in India forces users without a subscription to wait three extra days for access to new albums:
With UMG’s ‘Hear It First’, participating artists and their labels can collaborate with Spotify to choose to make select new releases available to Premium subscribers up to three days early. Every Spotify listener gets access after that - or free listeners can subscribe at any time to get early access.
Update: Added quote from Spotify support page.
Microsoft’s DLSS competitor isn’t just for Qualcomm laptops and Xbox Ally X anymore — the MSI Claw EX handheld and anything else Intel Core Ultra Series 3 should now qualify. Microsoft claims it’s enough to play at ultra instead of high, among other examples, and I see the hard-to-find Claw EX is now back in stock at B&H, MSI, and ExcaliberPC.
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[DirectX Developer Blog]
Bungie is reversing its controversial content vault that saw Destiny 2 content removed six years ago.
The controller usually costs around $50. You can also save on Aurzen’s mini tri-fold projector and a great Chromebook.
According to Reuters, the settlement with California and 11 other states “includes the creation of independent editorial boards for CNN and CBS” as well as “a $30 million penalty per film for any shortfall against Paramount’s pledge to release 30 movies annually.”
Update: Paramount and the state AGs have officially announced a settlement.
MediaTek is announcing its new Dimensity CX C10 Max processor. It’s an Arm-based chip built on TSMC’s 3nm process, with an 8-core CPU, 11-core GPU, and an NPU capable of up to 55 TOPS. This will be MediaTek’s Googlebook chip, as it’s designed for thin-and-light laptops like the five initial Googlebooks that were just announced.
It says mods aren’t allowed to “expand or modify” official storylines, plots, missions, or characters. The updated policy also bans crossover mods that combine content from one Rockstar game into another, like maps or characters from previous GTA games, and limits multiplayer mods to Rockstar’s official Creator Platform.
[Rockstar Games]
The TimeXplayer V2 shrinks a two-button mouse with a scroll wheel down to the size of a matchbook, including a 2.4GHz USB receiver hidden inside. But it’s also got Bluetooth so you can connect it to your phone and use it as an alternative to the Boox Tappy as a handheld remote for doomscrolling or reading.
The deadline to file a claim is December 21st, 2026.
They said Monday that they plan to challenge the White House’s move to revoke their journalists’ press credentials:
The X500, X500 Pro, and X500 Pro Max launch this month in China, with a global release on the way later.
Nearly a decade after it was first revealed, Tesla is planning on re-revealing the next-generation Roadster on October 1st. For real this time. Maybe? For those willing to take another chance, Tesla is now accepting $50,000 reservations again — $5,000 immediately, followed by a $45,000 wire transfer — about two weeks before the official re-reveal.
The initial deposit is “fully refundable,” for what it’s worth. Will notable Roadster reservation cancellers like Sam Altman and MKBHD take the plunge again?
Google’s promising up to 10 years of updates for the new Googlebooks from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo.
There’s a lot to consider with Apple’s over-the-top $12,300 computer, so this is just a first taste.
The subsea “Petal” cable will connect the US and France across 4,300 miles when it comes online in 2029. Meta says it will be the first transoceanic subsea cable to deliver 1 petabit of data per second using a multi-core fiber technology. “That’s roughly the network capacity required for 75% of the world’s population to stream music at the same time,” according to Meta.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max removes its 20Wh firmware lock upon user activation.
Features like Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy were found to violate GDPR privacy rules in Europe from 2018 to 2020.
“As a result of Google’s failures, individuals could have been unaware that their location was being used to, for example, influence them with ads or to infer their interests, and could lose control over their personal data,” DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a statement. “The retention of users’ location data for longer than necessary aggravated this loss of control.”
While effectively unrepairable, iFixit says Apple’s variable aperture lens is ‘a feat of precision engineering.’
The report lands as Beijing and Washington prepare to discuss AI and world leaders gather in New York this week.
A new “Copy code” button is rolling out to Gmail inboxes on Android and iOS that previews authentication codes below the subject line, letting you copy them with a single tap without opening the email. It isn’t available on web, but it should make mobile logins less tedious.
The AI assistant can no longer shop on Amazon’s e-commerce platform.
Backrooms was a legit box office blockbuster. And now A24 is gearing up to make a movie based on the SCP universe (even if, for legal reasons, it might not use the SCP name). What internet horror franchise do you think should get big-screen treatment next?
